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Women’s Strawweight
1. Jessica Andrade (20-6)
Andrade battled through adversity to claim strawweight gold at UFC 237. The Brazilian was confounded by Rose Namajunas in the early going of their main even bout in Rio de Janeiro, as “Bate Estaca” was bloodied and dropped by her opponent. Once Andrade was better able to close the distance, however, things changed, and she became the promotion’s fourth 115-pound queen after knocking Namajunas unconscious with a slam in the second stanza. In a somewhat surprising twist, Andrade’s first title defense will come against Weili Zhang in China on Aug. 31.2. Rose Namajunas (8-4)
Namajunas looked sharp in her second title defense at UFC 237. That is, until challenger Jessica Andrade knocked her unconscious with a slam 2:58 into the second round of their headlining bout in Rio de Janeiro. Namajunas’ reaction after the defeat was one of relief, and it seems as though the 26-year-old could be leaning toward an early retirement. If she does decide to stick around, “Thug” Rose has shown a propensity to make great strides from bout to bout, and that includes UFC 237, where she battered, bloodied and dropped Andrade on the feet. Given a little more time to clear her head, it’s possible that Namajunas’ perspective could change, but don’t expect a quick turnaround either way.3. Joanna Jedrzejczyk (15-3)
Once regarded as the top female pound-for-pound talent in the sport, Jedrzejczyk now finds herself looking up at the top of two separate divisions following a loss to Valentina Shevchenko for the vacant flyweight strap at UFC 231. While the 31-year-old Poland native showed no quit in the bout, she simply had no clear answers for her opponent over the course of the 25-minute affair. Jedrzejczyk will return to 115 pounds for her next Octagon appearance when she faces Michelle Waterson at UFC Fight Night in Tampa on Oct. 12.4. Tatiana Suarez (8-0)
Suarez may still very well be a future champion, but she showed some flaws in a victory over Nina Ansaroff at UFC 238. The American used her wrestling to bank two rounds on the judges scorecards, but faded in the third round. Perhaps even more concerning was Ansaroff’s ability to land offense in the final stanza. Nonetheless, Suarez captured a unanimous decision for her fifth consecutive triumph within the Las Vegas-based promotion. The Milennia MMA product doesn’t feel as though she needs more seasoning: After the victory, she called out reigning 115-pound queen Jessica Andrade. She’ll have to wait, because Andrade has been booked to face surging Chinese contender Weili Zhang.5. Nina Ansaroff (10-6)
Ansaroff didn’t beat the highly-touted Tatiana Suarez at UFC 238, but she did show some chinks in the American wrestler’s armor. Ansaroff spent most of the first two stanzas on her back but did a decent job neutralizing Suarez’s offense with her guard. In round three, Ansaroff took advantage of her tiring opponent to land 30 significant strikes — more than Suarez’s first-four UFC foes landed combined. Nonetheless, Ansaroff dropped a unanimous decision to see her four-bout winning streak snapped.6. Claudia Gadelha (17-4)
Gadelha relied exclusively on her standup to capture a unanimous decision triumph over Randa Markos in a preliminary matchup at UFC 239. While it wasn’t the most enthralling performance, it was a welcome victory for “Claudinha,” who recently began training under the guidance of coaches Mark Henry and Ricardo Almeida. The former strawweight title challenger has won two of her last three Octagon appearances and has been booked to meet Cynthia Calvillo at UFC on ESPN 7 in Washington, D.C. on Dec. 7.7. Weili Zhang (19-1)
Make it 19 consecutive professional victories for Zhang, who outdueled Tecia Torres to take a unanimous decision in their UFC 235 encounter. The Chinese star improved to 3-0 in the Octagon, adding Torres to previous victories over Jessica Aguilar and Danielle Taylor. The 29-year-old Black Tiger Fight Club representative has been rewarded for her quick ascent with a title shot against Jessica Andrade in Shenzhen, China, on Aug. 31.8. Carla Esparza (14-6)
The former strawweight queen earned a quality victory at UFC Fight Night 150, as she edged previously unbeaten prospect Virna Jandiroba in a hard-fought unanimous decision victory. Esparza had a slight edge on the feet, but four takedowns were key to her victory, which snapped a two-bout skid for “Cookie Monster.” Next up, Esparza will square off against Alexa Grasso at UFC Mexico City on Sept. 21.9. Cynthia Calvillo (8-1)
Calvillo has returned to her winning ways since coming back from a suspension for a positive marijuana test at UFC 219. In her most recent two outings, the Calvillo has bested Cortney Casey and Poliana Botelho to rebound from her lone career defeat, which came at the hands of Carla Esparza at the aforementioned UFC 219 event. The Californian has won five of her six Octagon appearances overall and remains a rising contender at 115 pounds. Calvillo was forced to withdraw from a proposed bout with Livinha Souza at UFC Sacramento due to a broken foot. She will turn to action against former title challenger Claudia Gadelha at UFC on ESPN 7 on Dec. 7.10. Michelle Waterson (17-6)
Always one of the most marketable fighters in the UFC, Waterson finds herself on the verge of title contention after authoring a three-fight winning streak against Karolina Kowalkiewicz, Felice Herrig and Cortney Casey. “The Karate Hottie” will get a real opportunity to test her championship mettle when she squares off against former 115-pound queen Joanna Jedrzejczyk on Oct. 12.Other Contenders: Brianna Van Buren, Alexa Grasso, Marina Rodriguez, Felice Herrig, Livinha Souza.
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